The Godwulf Manuscript

Spenser earned his degree in the school of hard knocks, so he is ready when a Boston university hires him to recover a rare, stolen manuscript. He is hardly surprised that his only clue is a radical student with four bullets in his chest. The cops are ready to throw the book at the pretty blond coed whose prints are all over the murder weapon but Spenser knows there are no easy answers. He tackles some very heavy homework and knows that if he doesn't finish his assignment soon, he could end up dead.

Hush Money: Spenser Series, Book 26

When Robin Nevins, the son of Hawk's boyhood mentor, is denied at an exclusive university, Hawk asks Spenser to investigate. It seems the denial is tied to the suicide of a young gay activist, and as Spenser digs deeper, he is nearly drowned in a multicultural swamp of politics: black, gay, academic, and feminist. At the same time, Spenser's inamorata, Susan, asks him to come to the aid of an old college friend, K.C. Roth, the victim of a stalker. Spenser solves the problem a bit too effectively when K.C. turns the tables and begins to stalk him.

Potshot

Boston P.I. Spenser returns - heading west to the rich man's haven of Potshot, Arizona, a former mining town recently reborn as a paradise for Los Angeles millionaires looking for a place to escape the pressures of their high-flying lifestyles. When a band of modern-day mountain men, led by a charismatic individual known as The Preacher, takes over the town, even the local police are powerless to defend the residents in the face of the clever, dangerous gang.

Robert B. Parker's Debt to Pay: Jesse Stone, Book 15

All is quiet in Paradise, except for a spate of innocuous vandalism. Good thing, too, because Jesse Stone is preoccupied with the women in his life, both past and present. As his ex-wife, Jenn, is about to marry a Dallas real-estate tycoon, Jesse isn't too sure his relationship with former FBI agent Diana Evans is built to last. But those concerns get put on the back burner when a major Boston crime boss is brutally murdered. Despite all evidence to the contrary, Jesse suspects it's the work of Mr. Peepers.

Eric J. Toll says:"Bring back Michael Brandman or retire the series"

Publisher's Summary

The adoring wife of a senatorial candidate has a smile as sweet as candy and dots her "i's" with little hearts. A blond beauty, she is the perfect mate for an ambitious politician, but she has a little problem with sex and drugs--a problem someone has managed to put on videotape.

The big boys figure a little blackmail will put her husband out of the race. Until Spenser hops on the candidate's bandwagon.

But getting back the tape of the lady's X-rated indiscretion is a nonstop express ride to trouble--trouble that is deep, wide and deadly.

This was a good Spencer book, but not one of the best, in my opinion. I could not get too attached to the politician and his wife. The politician is supposed to be madly in love with her (gallant and sacrificial love), but from what we know about her and her personality, it is not too believable that he could be so madly in love with her. For some reason I found this book a little flat so I could not give it a "5". It may be that I like Joe Montegna's reading skills better than Michael Prichard's. Prichard is good, but Montegna is better.

This is a foreshadowing of the next two Spenser novels Valediction and A Catskill Eagle. The politician Meade Alexander will soon be Spenser and Susan will be Ronny; the drunk slutty woman who likes "granny sex" though as far s we know Susan does limit her mistake to one man. As with Spenser; Meade's loyalty to his lady knows no bounds; he'll go to any lengths and compromise any or all of his values to protect her. Though in my less than humble opinion, it's difficult to understand why in either case. Susan is already stretching the boundaries of Spenser's tolerance and it isn't hard to discern that this doesn't bode well for the future of their relationship. There are some nice touches to this story; the confrontation with the muscle in Springfield; the Globe reporter Cosgrove. Finally the teenager at the granny party "shaking her head at the bogusness of it all" are all nice touches. In retrospect a great deal of my rating it 4 stars goes back to the mid 80's when I first read it in print form. I was living in Boston at the time and I'd just discovered Spenser; some nice memories there. This is a quick listen and there are some snatches of humor that I enjoyed; if you're new to Robert Parker and want to give Spenser a shot; don't start with this one. Most of the Spenser mysteries up to this point are superior to this one.

Here’s a term I hadn’t heard - granny sex. Sleazebag invites 40-something women to his home for sex orgies with college boys. A two-way mirror allows others to watch, take pictures and laugh. The older women have sags and wrinkles that 20-somethings don’t. That was unsettling. Two of these sex scenes are briefly described - no details.

As to plot, characters, and actions - nothing really grabbed me, nothing memorable, not as much wit or humor as in prior books.

I am reading all of the Spenser Series books in a row and Parker is good again.This book was not a thrilling as some of his previous books but good just the same.The narrator is OK but Burt Reynolds and Joe Mantegna are better readers.Can't wait for the next book in the Spenser series.